Handguns and the Host Club
by Professer-NoBoDy
Summary: In which the Hosts plan a robbery to save Haruhi from debt. Rated M for language and violence, just to be safe. *INSERT DISCLAIMER ABOUT NOT OWNING HOST CLUB HERE*
1. Chapter 1: Prolouge

Prologue: Where they went

It had been seven years since the hosts had graduated. They all still kept in touch; they even held Host Club reunions every few months, all except Haruhi. It worried the hosts to no end; Haruhi seemed to have disappeared after graduation. No calls, no letters, no nothing. Most of the time, the hosts assumed the best; that the girl had grown to become a phenomenal lawyer and made millions. Though, once in a while, a dark thought would pass over them all. "What if she's hurt? Or worse?" they would say, sitting in heavy silence and contemplating the worst.

In order to understand the events that are to follow, we must see how each of the hosts lived their lives after graduation from Ouran High School.

Tamaki Suoh, forever a kingly and loveable bastard, loved to play the piano. The fond memories of his mother urged him to continue his art; and soon the blonde charmer became a famous pianist. He composed beautiful, lilting songs that brought on melancholy thoughts of a lost friend; or possibly a lost love. Soon, with the money he made, he visited his mother. She was even more beautiful than he remembered; her voice was like a light flute carrying on the wind, her long, blonde hair flowing endlessly like an eternal golden brook. This visit further spurred Tamaki's compositions; though what was once sad now had a brighter melody of hope, instead of hearing rain one heard birds chirping from Tamaki's piano. The king of the hosts made a fair income; but hardly enough to be considered high-end. And he enjoyed his average income.

Kyoya Otori, the cold-hearted monster with a smile that was brighter than the sun (when it showed), never thought he would take over his father's company. As time passed after graduation, Kyoya was proven right. Although, perhaps that wasn't a terrible thing; in that rejection Kyoya found something better. Kyoya found a pencil. Ironically, Kyoya found extreme joy in the publishing rejections he received for his stories because, subconsciously, he knew that when his story was accepted, the acceptance would be that much greater. And he was right. Kyoya's stories quickly gained a fair-sized fan base; he had found his calling. The hosts' financial advisor made a fair income; but hardly enough to be considered high-end. And he enjoyed his average income.

Mitskuni Haninozuka and Takashi Morinozuka stayed close to each other after graduation. The two shared an apartment in the city with Usu-chan taking up residence on their couch. Both Honey and Mori had their appreciation for sweets; the latter having more of a fondness and the former having a full-fledged addiction. Honey gave up martial arts about two years after graduation; not being able to deal with the competition and violence very well anymore. Mori stopped going to his martial arts classes; but he still practiced at home for fun. For quite a while, they didn't know what to do with themselves; they hopped from part-time job to part-time job, earning just enough each month to pay rent. And somehow, the two always had enough leftover money to buy or make some sort of treat every Friday night. That's how they found out that they both loved to bake. It was a normal Friday night, and the two had decided to create a new sweet treat. It wasn't long before their friends (hosts included) actually started paying for their unique baked goods. And that's how Honey and Mori opened their own bakery out of their apartment. They catered weddings, parties, you name it. Not to mention they always got to taste the very first batch of their creations. The boy-Lolita type and the strong, silent type both made a fair income; but hardly enough to be considered high-end. And they enjoyed their average income.

Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, the mischievous yet protective twins, didn't know what to do with themselves after graduating from Ouran High. They tried their hand at designing clothes like their mother, but a mishap with a sewing machine encouraged them that fashion was not the right career path for either of them. So they earnestly searched fir their future, trying everything from interning to fry cooking. It was a cold winter night when Kaoru found his voice. All of the anguish of a jobless, talentless existence transferred to Kaoru's voice; and he sang through the disappointment. It was only a matter of time before Hikaru found a guitar. As a combination, the two twins were unstoppable; they formed a group called The Host Club (snort) and started by posting videos online and performing at bars. Soon enough, they became partial celebrities. Their fan base grew considerably and they actually performed at quite a few impressive events, just enough so that they lived in financial comfort. The shady twins both made a fair income; but hardly enough to be considered high-end. And they both enjoyed their average income.

The boys were much too proud to ask for money from their family. In fact, they made their parents promise not to send any of them money. This was a big mistake on all of their parts, considering what would happen to their Haruhi seven years after graduation.

This brings us to our last host, Haruhi Fujioka. Immediately after graduation, Haruhi went to a relatively inexpensive law school paid for by Ranka, her father. About halfway through her second year, Haruhi was already waist-deep in student loans. She figured "It's alright. Dad will help." She worked every hour she wasn't busy with school or homework, but it still wasn't enough. On a fateful day in fall, Ranka filed for bankruptcy. He moved out of their old home, sold all his possessions, and still didn't have enough for his daughter. He sent all his money to his daughter with a letter saying, "This is all I have left. I'm sorry." Ranka went missing soon afterwards, living on the streets and being hunted by loan sharks, rumor has it. Haruhi could no longer pay for her education. Stricken with anguish for her father's and her own well-being, she dropped out of law school and continued working any job she could, never once considering contacting her host friends. She didn't want to be a bother to them all. She moved out of her apartment and sold everything she owned of value; nothing more left to her name than a family portrait taken when she was little. Haruhi took to the streets. Soon enough, the filth of her only, unwashed clothes and face caked with dirt and tears prevented her from getting any kind of job. By sitting on the street and begging, Haruhi had about eight dollars at the end of good days. She used all of her daily "income" on food, except for one dollar each day which she would save in the back of the picture frame she carried everywhere with her. She hoped, eventually, she would save up enough to contact her hosts and get help. Her one and only hooded sweatshirt was covered in dirt and garbage, her torn and baggy pants exposing her scarred legs and knees. She reluctantly dug through dumpsters each day, hoping to find something she could pawn for some food money. The girl host had become homeless. She still owed money to quite a few people; banks which loaned her money, and even loan sharks who would no doubt be after her soon enough. Haruhi would have been more than happy with an average income.


	2. Chapter 2

Haruhi's pride was non-existent. Spending everyday begging for just enough money to eat a day's meal; it made her physically sick. She slept behind a cold, rusty dumpster; a folded cardboard box her mattress, a hole-ridden XXL suit jacket that smelled like cheap booze he blanket. She wouldn't say a word to the high-end, well-off people who passed her on the streets. She would stare at herself and she would be disgusted, wondering who she was anymore. A stained cardboard sign would sit next to Haruhi every day, proclaiming for all to see one simple word; "Please." That's all Haruhi could bear to write, not being able to convince herself to write that horrifying, ugly word. She refused to refer to herself as 'homeless,' though it was clearly evident that she fit the description perfectly.

The thing that shamed Haruhi the most was the pitying looks all the people passing by gave her. Each glance stabbed into Haruhi, who wanted nothing more to curl up and sob. This was the ultimate form of judgment. All day, every day, people would stare at her, pitying her. The money these pitying people gave her was like salt in her wounds. Yes, she was beyond thankful; always mumbling a genuine "Thank you ma'am/sir." But she hated getting money because of other people's pity for her.

"What did I do to deserve all this?" Haruhi mumbled, her teeth chattering as she tried to get warm behind the dumpster. The cold rain pelted at the discarded coat covering Haruhi, barely protecting her from the icy spray. With a quiet whimper, she sat up slightly and gathered some boxes from around her, weakly collapsing them. With a great deal of effort, Haruhi propped the flattened boxes up above her between the dumpster and the side of the building. The spray almost all stopped touching Haruhi's already trembling body. With a grateful sigh, Haruhi lay back down and cuddled up under her makeshift blanket. "Thank you…" she murmured to no one in particular. Haruhi drifted off to a fitful sleep just a little after the rain started to let up.

Haruhi awoke to the smell of fresh garbage and filth. She tried to convince herself that over her time being homeless she would slowly begin to not notice the smell of filth and shame all around her; but whom was she kidding? Every morning when she woke up she tried to resist the urge to gag. That specific morning, she couldn't hold it back anymore. Haruhi vomited all over herself, her body convulsing violently. Next to nothing, food-wise, came out. It was mostly all saliva ad stomach acid. After catching her breath, Haruhi sobbed quietly and curled up into a ball. "I can't go out covered in this…no one will give me anything…" Haruhi sobbed weakly, her anxiety growing by the second. No one would give her money; she wouldn't get to eat that day! As soon as the thought of food crossed her mind, Haruhi's stomach growled like a rabid animal, the wretched sound echoing behind the dumpster. Reluctantly, she lifted up her sweater and sobbed even harder. Her ribs protruded against her pale, dirty skin, her stomach hollowed inward. Haruhi weakly smoothed her sweater back down and whispered brokenly "I'm hideous."

After giving herself a small pep talk, Haruhi dragged herself out from behind the dumpster. She stood a little ways back from the opening of the alleyway, wringing her hands and staring down at her clothes in disgust. She took a deep breath, and stepped out into the light where everyone could judge her. After walking a bit, she leaned against a wall weakly, and with a quiet sniffle, placed a dirty Styrofoam cup by her feet and pulled out her cardboard sign.

For hours, Haruhi stood motionless against the wall, only a soft sniffle being heard every once in a while. Every time someone passed by, Haruhi closed her eyes and tried to hide her face behind her scraggly hair. No matter what she did, she couldn't stop the waves of shame and self-loathing from crashing over her every time she heard someone whisper to another, "Poor girl," or "Bless her soul." The sound of loose change and crumpled bills dropping into the filthy cup in front of her made her cringe. She hated this life; living in constant fear and shame.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" a meek voice piped up in front of Haruhi as the setting sun colored the sky orange and red. Haruhi reluctantly lifted her head, and twitched slightly; standing in front of her was a small boy, no older than eight years. The boy handed her a crumpled twenty-dollar bill, and mumbled, "I was going to buy a new game, but you need it more." Haruhi stared down at the money in her hand, tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you…thank you so much…" Haruhi whispered, reaching out and weakly ruffling the boy's hair, a soft smile ghosting over her lips. The boy smiled back brightly, and started when a feminine voice called from a little ways down the street "Tomoya! We have to get home, sweetie!" The little boy, Tomoya, waved goodbye to Haruhi and skipped after his mother. Haruhi quickly stuffed the money into her sweater pocket, tears of joy streaming down her dirty face; leaving clean trails in their paths.

Haruhi settled down behind the dumpster with the small boxed meal she had purchased on the way back to the alley. She had a grand total of thirty-two dollars when she went back to her dumpster; including the generous gift from the boy Tomoya. She ate plentifully, stopping every few minutes to smile weakly at the beautiful night sky and the pleasant breeze ruffling her coarse hair. She finished her meal, and for the first time in months, Haruhi burped. "Excuse me," she murmured quietly, smiling weakly and closing her eyes. "You're excused," said a gruff voice from the side of the dumpster, a violent hand reaching out and taking a fistful of her hair.

Haruhi's eyes popped wide open, choking on a hoarse cry. She looked about her wildly, scrambling to get away. You're Miss Fujioka, right?" the voice asked, yanking Haruhi's hair and forcing her around. Haruhi stared, terrified, at the very same man that had loaned her a considerable amount of money. His hair stood up in dangerous spikes, several piercings adorning his nose, ears, and bottom lip, and an intimidating tattoo on his cheek. "Where's my money, bitch?" he growled, pulling her harshly from out behind the dumpster into the pale moonlight spilling into the alleyway. Haruhi whimpered out painfully "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" The man threw her against the wall and roared "NO FILTHY WHORE IS GOING TO TAKE MY MONEY!" Within seconds, the man was on her; punches collided with Haruhi's jaw with deafening crack, kicks to her ribs knocked the wind out of her. At one point, the man smashed a glass bottle and assaulted Haruhi with the shards, stinging wounds zigzagging across her entire body.

"You better have my money next time," the man mumbled; out of breath and sweating as he trudged out of the alleyway, blood coating his hands. The moon was high above her now, flooding the alley with a soft, haunting glow. Puddles of blood shimmered in the moonlight, the pallor of a single, splintered, white bone poking out of Haruhi's leg. Several teeth glittered like gemstones coating with red velvet; scattered about haphazardly. Liquid life dribbled past Haruhi's split lips with choking, gurgling noises. "Daddy…" Haruhi breathed, her world spinning and her skin battered and bruised beyond repair.


	3. Chapter 3

It was on a whim that Tamaki called for an impromptu Host meeting.

"Listen, gents!" he cried into his laptop microphone, everyone else in the group Skype call quieting down. "We should all meet up downtown tonight!" "Tonight?! Dumbass, it takes Hikaru and me AT LEAST four hours to get downtown. "It's already eight!" Kaoru exclaimed, the other hosts all voicing their agreement; all except for Hikaru. "Guys," he said quietly, appearing next to Kaoru. "That was the last place we saw Haruhi." All the hosts fell silent once again.

It was true; before going to law school, Haruhi had had a part-time job downtown at some family owned restraunt. After she started school was when the hosts lost contact with her. It was a stretch, but Hikaru pointing that out caused a spark of hope amongst the boys.

"Hikaru's right, guys! Maybe she's still there!" Kaoru burst out excitedly. The hosts all discussed the possibilities of where specifically their seventh member would be. Suddenly Kyoya spoke up. "We all have to be prepared for the worst, I hope you realize," he murmured reluctantly, adjusting his glasses. The hosts fell silent for a third time that night. "Kyo-chan's right," Honey, of all people, finally said. "If Haru-chan's hurt, we have to be ready to act fast." "If anyone hurt my Haruhi, I'll kill them…" Tamaki growled, his jaw clenched as he pictured Haruhi hurt; or worse.

Haruhi lay sobbing in the moonlight, her entire body sore and aching. She gazed at the damage to her body with tear-blurred eyes, grunting weakly as she tried to move her broken leg. With a great deal of effort, the wounded girl flipped onto her back; breathing raggedly and staring up at the bleak night sky.

The hosts disconnected their Skype call. They had hastily agreed to meet downtown at the east train station as soon as possible; meaning only thirty minutes for some and four hours for others. They planned to start searching by 12:30 AM.

Tamaki was the first to arrive at the east train station. He had grabbed his coat and ran out of his home as soon as the Skype call was over. With tears insistently pricking at his eyes, Tamaki took the soonest train to the east train station. The trip took him only twenty minutes because it was so late; there were only two other people on the train. Tamaki looked around hysterically for the other hosts, wanting to start the search immediately. "Damn it!" he choked, sitting down on a bench to wait for the other members; knowing full-well it would be a good four more hours before they started searching for Haruhi. "Please be okay…please, please be okay…" Tamaki pleaded quietly to himself, allowing a few stray tears to slide down his cheeks.

Haruhi listened to the sounds of the city, choking quietly on bile and blood. After coughing up the repulsive mixture, she heard a distinct whoosh from across the street. "Who could be on the train at this hour?" Haruhi wondered aloud, trying to take her mind off the fact that the bleeding was still going strong. She weakly glanced at the teeth by her head and smiled pathetically. "Daddy used to leave me money for these…" she whispered, blurry images of her father flashing through her mind.

Over the next few hours, the hosts arrived at the train station one by one. Hikaru and Kaoru were, of course, the last to arrive. The twins hurried off their train and into the seating area. As soon as Tamaki saw the two, he bolted up right and shouted from across the nearly empty room "Hurry up you two shady twins! We have absolutely NO time to lose!" The twins came over to the group, and Kaoru puffed out "We're really sorry guys, the train got stuck on the tracks a few stops back!" Tamaki danced around impatiently, crying out "There isn't any time for apologies right now! We have to find Haruhi!"

With that, the hosts burst out of the train station into the cold night air searching for their beloved Haruhi. They split up to cover more ground, keeping their phones set to the loudest volume possible for quick contact; Tamaki and Kyoya took the seedy looking street littered with tons of alleys, Hikaru and Kaoru searched the park a little ways away, and Honey and Mori took a cab to the west side to search there.

"Kyoya, where could she be?" Tamaki choked out, ears pricking at his eyes. "I'm sure we'll find her if we keep looking, Tamaki," Kyoya reassured him quietly, just as distressed as the kingly blonde but a lot better at hiding it. The two continued searching one alley after the other, slowly losing hope along with energy. And, suddenly, a small voice emerged from a tighter alley. "Daddy?" the meek voice called quietly, echoing out towards the boys. There was a beat of silence between Kyoya and Tamaki before the two bolted down the alley, Tamaki in the lead.

"Daddy?" Haruhi repeated hoarsely, a head of blonde hair bobbing into her fuzzy vision. Tamaki stood quietly above Haruhi, his eyes wide and his jaw slack as his eyes wandered over her battered body. "Oh god…" Tamaki whispered, heavy tears flowing down his cheeks freely as he gazed at the once beautiful girl. He fell to his knees beside Haruhi, stunned into silence. "What could have happened to her?..." Kyoya whispered, looking from the crumbling blonde king to the bloodstained angel, tears starting to prick at his eyes as well. Tamaki sobbed quietly "I don't know…but she's here…and she's alive…" For the first time in seven years, Tamaki held Haruhi in his arms while Kyoya shakily called the hosts as well as an ambulance. "Haruhi…" Tamaki urged quietly, shaking her gently to keep her eyes open. "Hi daddy…" Haruhi whispered finally; her eyelids fluttering, her mind fading in and out. Only then did Tamaki realize the blotchy red puddles staining the asphalt and the small, shiny gems surrounding his little girl. He pulled back slightly, horrified to see Haruhi's blood seeping onto his clothes. "Take the teeth daddy…can you give me money like you used to?" Haruhi whispered weakly, her eyes slowly closing. Before she fell unconscious, Haruhi heard someone scream her name, and then she saw dazzling blonde locks above her fade away into black.


	4. Chapter 4

Haruhi didn't know where she was. All around her was velvety blackness, save a small dot of white light in the distance. She was floating. She didn't know how, but she was floating towards the small white glow in the distance. She couldn't speak, she was paralyzed; but still she floated closer to the strange light. It seemed that the closer she got, the light grew larger and hotter. With every inch closer Haruhi floated towards the light, her skin started boiling. She was sure she would burst into flames if she floated any closer; the light was growing to a painful intensity and heat. And then, all of a sudden, Haruhi was yanked away from the light with an electric jolt coursing through her.

"Clear!" The doctor pressed the electric plates hard down onto Haruhi's chest, the ambulance swerving through the downtown traffic to the hospital. With a violent jolt, Haruhi's eyes popped wide open with a rattling gasp. The girl looked about her wildly, taking in deep raspy breaths: in her right arm was an IV, which led to a nearly empty suspended bag of blood, and three people accompanied her in the back of the emergency vehicle. One was a doctor, whom sweated profusely as he set the electric plates aside and looked about frantically for a fresh bag of blood. The other two in the ambulance were Tamaki and Kyoya, both talking in rushed and strained voices, their gazes shifting rapidly between the doctor and Haruhi. They were saying something, but all Haruhi heard was a high-pitched ringing in her ears. She tried to stay awake, she really did. But she was just too tired. So Haruhi fell back asleep.

"Doctor!" Tamaki cried, pointing at Haruhi's motionless, unresponsive form as the ambulance screeched into the hospital parking lot. "We're getting her to the ER right away, sir," the doctor snapped in response, the ambulance doors swinging wide open and the two men from the front seats quickly reaching in and grabbing the gurney. Tamaki and Kyoya followed after the men as they wheeled the gurney rapidly into the building, the doctor jogging after them. After the hospital staff and Haruhi passed through a set of double doors, a security guard stopped Tamaki and Kyoya. "I'm sorry, you two. Only personnel and patients are allowed beyond this point," the security guard stated firmly. Tamaki was about to protest before Kyoya placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head quietly. "Yes, of course. Would you please direct us tot eh waiting room?" Kyoya replied. The security guard kindly pointed them to a room filled with uncomfortable plastic chairs and a single TV. Tamaki and Kyoya reluctantly sat down in the empty waiting room. Neither of them spoke, they simply stared at the doors to the ICU.

The rest of the hosts all got phone calls from Kyoya at around the same time. All the businessman had said was "Come quick! Hospital! Haruhi!" before disconnecting. The lack of information put each of the hosts on end, all of them getting to the hospital just a bit after the ambulance carrying Haruhi arrived.

"What happened? Did you find Haru-chan?!" Honey cried out, the rest of the hosts bursting into the waiting room. Tamaki wiped his red, puffy eyes and shook a disheveled Kyoya awake from a fitful nap, replying hoarsely "We found her in an alley. We still don't know what happened to her, but she had lost a lot of blood by the time the ambulance came. She's stable now, but we aren't allowed to see her yet. The doctor said she probably wouldn't be fully awake for another few days." Hikaru promptly burst into tears at this news, and Kaoru just as promptly comforted him, even though he was clearly just as upset as his twin. Honey, ironically, cried silently and seated himself next to Tamaki with a reassuring pat on his knee. Mori's usually stoic expression was cracking by the second as he tried to hold back tears. The hosts all sat together and didn't speak another word.

Haruhi awoke for only moments at a time. When she did, she would look about her in silent bewilderment, a doctor would ask her some questions, and then she would fall back into the velvety blackness.

Seconds bled into an eternity for the girl, reality and hallucinations meshing into one exhausting nightmare. She never dreamed. She would sleep for hours on end, never even stirring. This continued for five days; but to the seventh host, it felt like an eternity.

It was a Monday afternoon when Haruhi woke up once again. Her eyelids fluttered open and she looked around, blinking once in astonishment when she saw a young blonde man asleep in a chair in the corner. He looked startlingly familiar, but his blonde hair was cascading down past his face, covering his features. "Sir?" Haruhi croaked, sitting up slightly, then cringing as her broken leg twisted slightly. The young man's head snapped up, and Haruhi gasped weakly. "T…Tamaki?" Haruhi whispered, smiling a bright genuine smile as Tamaki's eyes filled with tears. In a moment, the blonde king had the small girl in his arms, sobbing out quietly "We were all so worried…we thought we lost you!" "We?" Haruhi asked quietly, looking around curiously. As if on que, the remaining hosts rushed into the hospital room and gathered around Haruhi's bed; all of them in tears and babbling loudly over each other. For the first time since she could remember, Haruhi threw her head back and laughed.


End file.
